


Out of Mind, Out of Control

by peterjackson



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, BAMF Jason Grace, BAMF Percy Jackson, BAMF Piper McLean, Blood, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, Eidolons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fights, Gen, Guilt, Hurt Percy Jackson, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Mild Blood, Mind Control, Not Canon Compliant, Pain, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), Recovery, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:20:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23557456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterjackson/pseuds/peterjackson
Summary: Jason moved so fast that Percy didn't even see the sword coming until it sliced the back of his knee, sending him to one knee with a pained yell, blood quickly soaking the dirt and his jeans.Percy didn't know what was happening, why Jason had attacked him, until Piper yelled, "His eyes are gold!"<>-<>-<>When the Argo II needs to pass over a mountainside, preferably without being blasted by flying boulders, it's Percy, Jason, and Piper who volunteer to scout the area, only for their quest to take a turn for the worse when Jason is controlled by an eidolon and attacks his two friends. With the threat of an army of mountain gods keeping them on the ground, and no way to contact the rest of the demigods, Piper, Percy, and Jason must make it back to the Argo II before it's too late.<>-<>-<>So... basically an excuse to whump Percy Jackson, but who's judging?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean
Comments: 48
Kudos: 532





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This disregards any events of the Trials of Apollo (Jason lives.) Set between end of House of Hades and fight with Gaea. May require some suspension of disbelief on the timeline.

Leo peered skeptically at the mountainside below as he maneuvered the Argo to hover just above one of the flatter peaks. Trees were bunched at the bottom of it, stretching into a forest that was miles wide. From the air, there was no indication that it would be worthwhile to land here. He said as much.

"How is this supposed to help us?" he asked, fidgeting with his Wii remotes while Jason flew around the underside of the vessel, yelling occasional direction. "I mean, besides getting us smashed to death by rock giants."

"Ourae," Annabeth corrected automatically, glancing down at a map while Percy hovered near the railing, looking down uneasily. Perhaps because they had left the sea behind them for now in favor of breaching mountain god territory. "And they're not giants. They're gods."

"What they are is annoying," Leo muttered, and Festus huffed his agreement by blowing a puff of steam through his nose. Jason yelled an affirmation and Leo brought the Argo to a dead hover. "And seriously. Why are we doing this?"

It was Hazel who came forward and answered. "If we can find a way to make peace with the numina montanum, then we can travel above land rather than oversea to get to Athens faster. And the faster we do that, the faster we can---"

"Stop Gaea, yeah yeah," Leo said. "So then I guess the question is, who's going to make peace?"

Jason chose that moment to fly back onto the deck. "I'll go."

Being the son of Zues and all, or whoever the Roman equivalent was, made him the obvious choice. Being the boyfriend of Piper and all, made her the obvious one to volunteer next.

"That should work," Annabeth said, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Though it'd probably be a good idea to have someone else."

The surrounding demigods nodded their affirmation --- Romans and Greeks alike shared the sentiment that quests led by demigods were better done in threes.

"I have to stay here to man the Mist if we want to avoid getting decimated by giant boulders," Hazel said, and nobody disagreed because nobody wanted to get decimated by giant boulders.

Annabeth tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "I'd go but my ankle's been acting up..."

She probably hadn't meant to make the mood so solemn, but as soon as she said it, all seven demigods were simultaneously reminded of Annabeth and Percy's time spent in Tartarus as well as the dangerous mission that Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge were attempting at the very moment.

"Too bad you guys are incompetent," Leo said to break the tension, instantly prompting incredulous looks from the others --- especially Frank and Hazel, who still hadn't forgotten his Archimedes fanboy rant from a while ago. "Otherwise I could go and we'd still have someone able to man the Argo."

Piper laughed in that magical, Aphrodite way. "If only."

Leo shot her a grin.

"I'll go," Percy said easily, stepping forward and sliding one arm around Annabeth's waist. "I'm great at negotiations."

Annabeth looked at him, while Hazel raised her eyebrows and Frank crossed his arms. Piper squinted at him.

Percy didn't seem too offended. "Okay, so maybe I'm not a diplomat but I have pretty good instincts when it comes to like. Helping out. And stuff."

Annabeth looked halfway between laughter and exasperation. Frank wasn't even concealing a dopey smile, the teddy bear in him shining through.

"Okay, not to rain on your parade or anything, Percy. Seriously, you're a good guy. Great fighter. Can talk to horses. All valuable stuff." Leo said. "But there has literally never been a time when you, Jason, and Piper went on a quest that ended up going well. Literally never."

"Way to not rain on my parade," Percy said, but he didn't seem as concerned as Jason and Piper were. Or as concerned as the others were, for that matter. "But the chances of any of us being drowned to death or mind-controlled again is pretty low, right?"

"I mean, I wouldn't tempt it," Hazel said ominously under her breath.

"C'mon," Percy urged. "We're a great team. We got this."

He was met with uncertainty and tried again. "What's that saying again? Third time's the charm?"

"Or bad things come in threes," Piper muttered, which earned her an offended glare from Percy.

"So that means we're good to go, right? As in me, Piper, and Jason."

The others exchanged glances but since nobody else was actively volunteering to risk getting demolished to go make peace with the mountain guys, nobody argued. Percy smiled triumphantly. Leo found it annoying how he could do that without seeming arrogant or obnoxious.

"Awesome," he said, pressing a kiss to Annabeth's cheek. "So what's the plan?"

<>-<>-<>

Ten minutes later, Jason was lowering all three of them to the ground while Hazel summoned immense clouds of Mist to hide both their descent and the Argo.

Percy was glad to have solid earth under his feet, something that he'd started to miss since being rescued from Tarturus, having that one picnic, and confining most of their recent journey to travel by air. There was something different about walking on real dirt again and not a polished wood deck thousands of feet off the ground. It reminded him of Camp Half-Blood, or even Camp Jupiter.

"So how far away is the other mountain again?" Percy asked.

They'd be traveling from the short mountain that Leo had parked over to the largest one, where supposedly dwelled the head ourae, who might be willing to strike a deal, Kymopoleia style. Going straight to that mountain over air was apparently suicide by rock, which meant they'd be tromping through a few miles of woods and climbing halfway up said mountain to conduct negotiations.

Percy didn't know why the mountain gods had decided to set up camp in some random mountains in Europe as opposed to other places with significantly more demigod traffic at whom to throw boulders at, but he wasn't complaining (that much.) And to each their own, right?

Piper looked at Jason, who glanced at the map in his hands. "Uh... three miles? Not including the mountain climb."

"Cool," Percy said, eyeing the peak of the largest mountain which plunged upwards through the trees. "Then we should probably get going if we want to get back before sundown."

Piper and Jason both nodded, and they were on their way.

So... mountain gods were really not great at striking deals, even at the promise of action figures.

Had Jason not done his Superman thing, they would've been smashed into a grease spot on the doorstep of the mountain god's cave. As it was, Jason flew them back down to the foot of the mountain, all with significantly lower hopes.

Not only had they failed to get safe passage, but the head dude had promised that if he saw a hint of anyone above the treetops, he'd unleash the full force of his entire army. That meant no Superman shortcut, as Percy had hoped.

They'd have to wait until they got back to Leo's mountain before doing any flying, which was honestly fine with Percy. It sure beat getting annihilated by rocks. Plus, he'd never done well in the air anyways.

It was mostly quiet on the back towards the Argo. Being unable to reach a peace with the ourae meant that their journey to Athens would be prolonged by two days, on top of the distance they had yet to go.

And while Leo had predicted that the three of them going meant almost certain death, he had been wrong (Percy didn't count the rock leader's tantrum as a valid near death experience.) Of course, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind did Jason suddenly gasp and stumble forward into a tree, holding himself up like he was in pain, fingers digging into the bark like if he let go, he'd collapse. That's when Percy remembered, don't ever, ever tempt the Fates. Even in your own mind.

"Jason?" Piper asked as both her and Percy moved forward. "Jason, what's wrong?"

Percy reached for Riptide, immediately on high alert. As he approached Jason's unmoving form, he scanned the perimeter for threats. There didn't seem to be any indication of one, not even snapping twigs or rustling branches, but he knew better than to let his guard down.

Piper was at Jason's side, but she wasn't succeeding at getting his attention. He wouldn't even look back at her. She and Percy exchanged a worried glance.

He came up from behind, but Jason didn't seem to notice. He was gripping that tree for dear life, and did he seem to be shaking slightly? Percy couldn't tell. He sure was breathing hard though.

"Jason," Piper said, and the worry in her voice grew more jagged. "Look at me. What's going on?"

Jason's hand reached for his belt, where his sword was sheathed through a belt loop. Percy glanced at Piper in warning, she stepped in front of him, perhaps trying to get a look at his face. It was hard since his head was tilted towards the ground and his blonde hair was falling over his forehead.

Percy stepped into Piper's old spot by Jason's side, clapping a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Grace, what's going on? We're almost to the base of the mountain. The Argo's waiting."

"Jason," Piper tried again. "What are you---"

Jason moved so fast that Percy didn't even see the sword coming until it sliced the back of his knee, sending him to one knee with a pained yell, blood quickly soaking the dirt and his jeans.

Piper screamed as Jason knocked Percy all the way down and wielded his sword, the golden tip of which was red with Percy's blood.

Percy didn't know what was happening, why Jason had attacked him, until Piper yelled, "His eyes are gold!" and raised her own sword to protect herself.

She was too hesitant, and Percy knew that Jason wasn't going to be pulling any punches. He had to do something --- fast.

Though pain radiated white hot through his leg, Percy pulled himself upright, gasping and stifling a scream through clenched teeth. By the time his vision was done swirling, the hazy edges becoming suddenly high definition, Jason knocked down Piper's sword and Piper was on her way to getting cornered against a tree.

"Hey!" Percy shouted, lunging forward despite his mangled knee and tackling Jason from behind just as he swung his sword down at Piper.

They hit the ground hard, Jason’s sword sandwiched between them. The impact further aggravated Percy’s knee, drawing a sharp yell from his mouth as he fought to keep Jason down without killing him, every movement agonizing. Jason seemed to realize this because he managed to land a perfect blow to Percy’s leg. That was all it took for Percy to let go, and for Jason to get the upper hand. Jason’s kick sent Percy sprawling onto his back. Before he knew it, Jason was above him, trying to grab his sword without letting Percy up.

Piper skirted behind them, screaming at Jason to stop. Percy didn’t want her to come too close, in case Jason hurt her, but whenever she got within striking distance, Jason pushed her away like she was just a nuisance and not something worth trading for Percy Jackson’s life; in other words, that was bad news for Percy.

Jason leaned over to grab his sword which had fallen, and Percy used his good leg to land a kick on Jason's chest, knocking him back.  
Pained tears gathered in his eyes, and Percy could hardly draw in a breath. The blood wasn't stopping but neither was Jason, which meant Percy couldn't afford to either.

As Jason recovered, far more quickly than Percy was able to, Piper dove forward and kicked the sword away, once again unwilling to harm Jason too bad. Luckily, Percy didn't share the same sentiment, at least not for non-lethal defense moves.

"Piper," Percy gasped, as he pulled himself up, not daring to put any support on his leg. "Appeal to the eidolon. Get it to leave again."

A few weeks ago, Piper may not have thought herself able to. But Percy had seen the change since he'd come back from Tartarus, the confidence and quiet power Piper carried. She just had to remember to use it. And Percy had to keep Jason distracted long enough to give her the chance to.

"Eidolon!" Piper said, and Jason twitched in acknowledgement, even as he shoved her away again.

Percy drew his sword, which efficiently sent Jason after him instead. Percy knew he wouldn't be able to hold Jason off for too long, especially if he started messing with air.

"Listen to me!" Piper said, voice almost irresistible to obey because of the charmspeak. "Let Jason go."

It was disturbing to see and hear the eidolon speak using Jason's mouth. His strike glanced off Percy's sword just as he said, "I can't do that. Not until the son of Poseidon is dead."

Piper's eyes widened, and Percy was slightly surprised that he was the main target. He figured it was one of those BOGO things where the eidolon was just attacking Percy because he was there, maybe ignoring Piper because the eidolon deemed Percy a bigger threat, but apparently not.

"You will," Piper said, voice hardening as she tried to get close enough to help. “Get away from him.”

"Focus on getting the eidolon out, not---" Percy didn't move fast enough to escape Jason's next swing.

The golden blade sliced a line from the lower right of Percy's chest to the top left. Percy stumbled back and Jason kicked out his injured knee, tearing a strangled cry from Percy's throat.

Piper was yelling, trying to appeal to eidolon, but she was clearly distracted by Jason's attack on Percy. Jason, who dropped his sword in favor of getting above Percy and delivering two punches to Percy's face.

Percy groaned, head whipping to the side as his arms came up to block the next blow. Jason took advantage of the delirium of pain that was draining Percy's strength and managed to wrap his hands around Percy's throat.

Percy immediately seized up, hands clawing at Jason's arms while he struggled to pull in any air.

"Piper, keep--- keep trying---"

Staring up into Jason's face, Percy felt a surge of fear. His eyes were pure gold, his face angry and red and unrelenting, and Percy couldn't help but wonder if his focus on Percy was something that was derived from any hostile feelings Jason already had, or if Gaea really just wanted Percy to die that bad. Either way, Percy wasn't willing to sacrifice Jason to save his own life, so fighting back while he was being strangled left him limited options.

"You're lucky you're my friend," Percy choked out, gripping Jason's arms and moving them just enough to allow Percy to bring his head up and slam it into Jason's.  
Jason let go and Percy inhaled gratefully while he tried to get out from under him. He managed to get out in time to dodge the sword that Jason sloppily swung at him. As soon as the blade reached the end of its arc, Percy got behind Jason and pinned his arms behind his back.

"Now, Piper!" he yelled, as Jason struggled to buck Percy off.

The livid thrashing on Jason's part meant that every injury he'd sustained was being jostled. It was agonizing, and Percy's vision was washed with black between movement while Piper knelt in front of her possessed boyfriend.

"Jason, fight this," Piper urged. "That is your friend. And this isn't you."

When Jason's struggles slowed slightly, the charmspeak doing what Jason’s will alone couldn’t, Piper addressed the thing controlling him.

"Eidolon, you swore on the Styx," Piper cried angrily, eyes blazing. "You can't break that kind of promise lightly."

Percy couldn't tell, but it sounded like he was smiling, which must've been disturbing to look at. "Ah, but you're wrong. My brothers swore never to return. Gaea sent me in their stead."

For once, Piper was getting to him. The thrashing slowed, if only slightly, and Percy was able to readjust his grip, getting his arms firmly around Jason's with a strong hug from behind, if you would.

"You will leave now," Piper said, fierce and commanding despite the tears dripping down her face. "And you will tell all of your kind that they may not come back for either of us, or you will kill them yourself."

The eidolon struggled to resist but couldn't for long. This breed must have been weaker, because that was all it took. The eidolon used Jason's mouth to let out a displeased hiss before Jason went limp. Good. Percy wouldn't have been able to hold him off much longer.

Jason crumpled and Percy pushed himself away, dropping onto his back and gasping for air.

He squeezed his eyes shut as his entire body throbbed. Piper let out a cry of relief and rushed forward, bypassing Jason and dropping to Percy's side.

"Percy." She pressed a hand to the deepest part of the cut on Percy's chest, eyes wide with fear. "Stay with me."

He cracked his eyes open and offered her a bloody smile. "It'll take more than your boyfriend to finish me off." His body language, every muscle tensed with pain, begged to differ, but Piper didn't say so. "Speaking of---"

"He'll recover," Piper said, coming back into herself. Percy could only imagine the trauma of her having seen her boyfriend be mind controlled into attacking them --- again. "But you won't if we don't stop this bleeding.”

Percy groaned as she applied more pressure, but he gritted his teeth and looked skyward to keep from flinching.

"Whatever you say, princess," Percy managed weakly.

She rolled her eyes, but he could tell that his poor attempt at joking was relieving some of the mental pressure that was hardening her face.

"Piper?" Jason's voice came from behind them, sounding he'd just woken up from a nap. Speaking of naps, Percy sure could use one. "Percy? What happened? Who did this to him?"

Clearly, Piper was on the verge of tears, but Percy had learned that just because Piper didn't close herself off every time she felt a surge of weakness or emotional vulnerability didn't mean she was weak. On the contrary, it made her strong as steel, and Percy wouldn't forget that any time soon.

"Don't you remember?" Piper said distractedly, tearing her sleeves off into neat strips (as neat as she could get in a hurry at least) and wrapping them below Percy's knee. "You did." Jason made a startled noise but Piper didn't focus on it. Percy was too focused on not blacking out to pay attention to either of them. "But it doesn't matter. You need to help me keep him awake."

Easier said than done, because Percy was already deciding that the forest floor didn't make a horrible bed. His eyes were fluttering and it was only the raw, terrified edge of Piper's voice calling out that made him hold them open as best he could.

"Don't do that," Piper said. "Stay awake."

"You're right," Percy said dazedly, with an out of place grin that basically screamed blood loss. "Annabeth would totally kill me if I died." He managed to lock his gaze on Jason, who was looking down at Percy with wide, guilty eyes. "Oh, hey Jason. You look like you're going to throw up. Please don't throw up on me."

Piper cast him a frazzled glance. "Sparky, I know you're freaked out, but you have to help me out here."

Percy couldn't help the choked gasp that came when Piper tightened the bandages around the back of his knee, throwing his head back against the dirt and squeezing his eyes shut again.

"This sucks," he gasped out before pressing his lips together, and that seemed to shock Jason back into reality.

He pressed his hands against the shallow cut on Percy's chest, bunching some of the material of Percy's shirt to soak up the blood and hopefully stop the bleeding.

"I'm sorry," was all Jason could manage to say, guilt hollowing out his chest, as he watched the blood steadily stop flowing over Percy's chest. "I don't--- I don't know what---"

"It wasn't your fault," Piper insisted, gently tying off her makeshift pressure bandage.

"Definitely not," Percy said, but Jason couldn't be too convinced considering his voice was gravelly and hoarse, which probably had something to do with Jason nearly strangling him to death. "But possession's a nasty habit, Grace."

Jason let out a dry laugh. "I think I might have figured that out."

Percy managed a grin.

"Can we move you?" Piper asked gently. "I need to get a better look at that knee."

Percy felt like he was going to pass out, but he nodded anyways. Jason moved automatically, him and Piper perfectly in sync as they snaked their arms behind his back and lifted him upright. Once he was in a sitting position, every cell in his body screaming at him to lay still, they eased him backwards until he was up against a tree.

Percy dropped his head, chest rising and falling wildly, even from that small motion.

"I don't suppose you have any nectar or ambrosia in that bag of yours, do you?" Percy asked.

Piper could have been a cartoon character for the ways her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"Do I--- of course! Jason, can you---"

But he was already lunging over to where she'd dropped it when Jason --- no, the eidolon --- had first come at her. Jason passed it to Piper, keeping one eye on her as she fumbled to unzip it and the other on Percy as he tried to regain control of his breathing.

"It's not much, but---" She handed him a small vial filled with the golden liquid but no bigger or wider than Percy's index finger.

Not even a dose, but all they could afford to take from their dwindling stores on the Argo. Jason popped the cap off and passed it to him. Percy's hands were shaking so bad that he kept bumping his lip and threatening to drop it before it even reached his mouth.

Jason reached over and placed a hand over the struggling demigod's, helping his steady his grip enough to get it into his mouth.

Jason might have expected him to refuse the help in that typical, sacrificial Percy Jackson way, but instead, Percy smiled gratefully if not a little tiredly, eyelids drooping in slight relief as the nectar warmed his throat, tasting like memories.

"---and real bandages too," Piper was saying, digging through her small satchel. "And here I was performing emergency field medication."

"You're doing great, Pipes," Jason said, if only to compensate for the gnawing guilt because of the way that he was not doing great. "Stay calm. It won't hurt to have the makeshift bandages either."

Piper looked grateful for Jason's reassurance. He squeezed her hand before letting her get to wrapping Percy's knee --- the worst injury he'd sustained --- while he focused on making sure Percy didn't fall asleep.

If Jason was being honest, it was hard to look at Percy. Jason hadn't seen him so hurt since they'd rescued him and Annabeth from Tarturus. This seemed worse, if only because Jason had to live with knowing that he'd done all of it.

"I don't blame you," Percy said, slipping back into the seriousness that used to make Jason uneasy. That was, of course, before they'd both been silently competing to become the leader, before they realized that was unnecessary. "None of this was your fault."

Jason couldn't share the same sentiment, not without thinking slightly darker. "Then why was I the one they chose, huh? And why'd I go after you more than Piper?"

Percy's expression didn't change --- still as grim because he'd most likely considered this already. Piper bit her lip but let Percy answer himself and gods, it sounded like he'd eaten glass. Strangulation did that to you.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "But it doesn't matter that they chose you. And it doesn't matter that you didn't go after Piper, because if you had, I'd still be right here."

He smiled dryly, and the blood trailing down his chin from the split lip made Jason's chest pang, as well as the bruises darkening the bottom of his throat, his right eye, and his jaw. "No way I'd let you hurt her."

When Piper looked at Percy like maybe he was being misogynistic by implying she couldn't handle herself, he added, "You're the only one who could've stopped it. Who did stop it. Thanks for that, by the way."

"No problem," Piper breathed with a stressed laugh. "How about you pay me back by not dying on the way back?"

Percy shrugged. "No promises." When they both looked equally as horrified, he amended, "I'm kidding. Seriously. Kidding. I feel fine."

Piper paused in looking over her dressings by crossing her arms in disbelief. Percy looked down.

"Okay, I'm totally lying, but there's nothing we can do about it until we get back to the Argo." His eyes grew thoughtful. "Oh man, Leo's never going to shut up about being right. We don't do well on quests together."

They all shared a laugh until Percy realized that was a Bad Idea and his face twisted in pain. That effectively killed Jason and Piper's laughter, but with the sun setting, they couldn't afford to stall much longer or dwell on the injuries that peppered Percy's body.

"I can always fly us up..." Jason offered, looking up at the seemingly safe sky poking through the canopy above them.

Percy shook his head adamantly. "No way. I'm not in the mood to get creamed by a boulder, are you?" He sat up fully, pulling his back off of the tree and gritting his teeth to disguise how bad that hurt. "Also, I've been possessed before. I know what it takes out of you. Don't tell me that you're not exhausted."

Well, of course Jason was, but that seemed kind of babyish to admit in the face of Percy's injuries.

"Besides," Percy continued, offering them a smile that was probably meant to be reassuring but conveyed so much internal pain that Piper and Jason both exchanged a glance, already becoming more willing to risk Jason's option, "I don't do well in the sky anyways. Your dad, like, hates me."

Then he looked up at the sky like Jupiter would strike him down any moment.

"So it's settled," Piper said, faking the lightness in her voice. "We need to get moving."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos!

“Hazel's Mist is only a mile or so away I think. As soon as it covers us, Jason can fly us up." Piper looked skyward, where the Argo was just a rather large dot in the sky, invisible to everyone but them, thanks to Hazel. 

And because they didn't have much of a choice, there wasn't need for any affirmations. Instead, Percy twisted, gritting his teeth and using the tree to try to stand. Piper and Jason were at his side in less than a second, gripping his arms and helping him up.

“Don’t do that,” Jason reprimanded, watching Percy sway on one foot, the other raised off of the ground as much as he could. The guilt was back, panging at his chest.

Percy did a valiant effort of disguising the pain of even standing, but he hadn't fooled either of them. Jason was looking guiltier by the minute, especially when Percy had stumbled into him in an attempt to keep weight off his injured leg.

“You’re not walking on that,” Piper said. “We’ll help you.”

"I'm okay," Percy said unconvincingly, barely managing to keep his shallow breaths from becoming full on pants. Still, he didn’t resist them putting his arms around their shoulders. Once they were situated, he tried for a smile. "Let's go."

Hobbling through the woods with three exhausted demigods, one of which looked (and felt) like he'd climbed out of a grave, was not fun, nor was it efficient.

Percy had gone pale the moment they'd started walking, and his nails had started to dig into both Piper and Jason's shoulders when the pain became too much to ignore.

His head had dropped down, probably in an effort to conceal the tightness of his face and the sudden glassiness of his eyes.

Piper didn't falter when they started to slow, and Percy's steps became more and more uncoordinated as he supported himself less and less. That should have warned her of what was to happen, but she'd been so trapped in the worry of her own mind that when it happened, she didn't expect it.

They must have been halfway back when Percy's legs gave out. Piper swore as he went limp, barely managing to twist herself around enough to lower Percy gently to the ground. Jason helped with that, face and muscles straining as they got Percy onto his back.

Piper's heart raced as she brushed hair out of his eyes. "Percy? Can you hear me?" His eyes were shut and his face covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "Percy? Crap."

She soon saw what the problem was. Her bandages had failed, and blood was rapidly soaking through them, dripping onto the ground.

Fear streaked through her. "Jason, I need more bandages."

He shook his head, eyes wide. "We don't have any."

She grit her teeth and looked away from Percy to rip away her other sleeve. Any other time, she might have commented on how punk she was looking, but Percy had passed out and was pale as paper. She needed to help him before she couldn't.

"You're going to be fine," Piper said to him under her breath, keenly aware as the sun retreated from the leaves above that they were running out of time.

The others had probably expected them half an hour ago, and they still had half a mile to go.

Percy didn't stir as she wrapped his leg again. Earlier, he'd been writhing in pain when she'd even brushed the back of his knee. Now, he was still as marble.

"Jackson, if you die because of me, you won't have to worry about Annabeth. I'll kill you first," Jason threatened, sounding intimidating but looking as scared as Piper felt.

"It's not soaking through anymore," Piper commented, somewhat relieved. "If we can---"

Percy groaned softly, eyelids fluttering. Piper cut off to watch him. Jason grabbed her hand.

"I think we should risk it," he said tightly, feeling as exposed as a live wire. "I can fly us---"

"No."

Percy's voice was no more than a croak, but his eyes were clear and insistent. Already, he was trying to sit up. Watching him was like watching a baby horse trying to walk.

"We have to keep going." He seemed overly frantic. Piper wondered if this was a side effect from his time spent in Tartarus.

"Percy, wait," Piper said, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to push him back down. "You need to relax for a second."

"We don't--- we don't have time for that," Percy said, eyes flickering between them wildly.

He may have had a point, but it didn't matter. Piper would ignore the rapidly darkening sky in favor of saving his life.

"He's right," Jason said, and Piper rounded on him with a venomous glare that immediately had him retreating.

"He's hurt." She glanced back at Percy, who was shaking his head and mumbling about how "fine" he was. "Stop, Percy," Piper said harshly, and Percy would have listened then even without the slight charmspeak undertone. "I'm serious."

Jason rushed to defend her this time, because seeing Percy struggling and fighting back tears was not helping the guilt gnawing at his chest.

"Percy, she's right. You can't keep powering through like you're not injured, you'll make it worse. Maybe we should find some water---"

"There isn't any for miles," he grunted, though he surrendered and laid back against the ground, breathing raggedly. "Like you said, our best bet is to get to the mountain and fly up."

"I'm already compromising by not flying you up right now," Jason countered, spurred on by Piper's approving nod. "And if you don't take at least a five minute rest, I'll risk it anyways."

"I've been through worse," Percy argued, and that was a blatant reminder they could've done without.

Jason still considered Tarturus a personal failure. He'd failed to save Annabeth and Percy. He'd let them fall to what very well could've been their deaths and very nearly was. He'd been surprised that Percy had even gone out of his way to forgive him after he'd first gotten back. It was hard to accept an apology from someone who'd nearly been destroyed both physically and mentally like he had. Percy was mostly okay now, except for the occasional nightmares that nobody talked about, but he seemed to realize that he had brought up an unbreachable topic, because the fight went out of him.

"Five minutes then," Percy consented, relaxing against the ground.

Piper looked like she wanted to argue, but realized that they really shouldn't take too much more time lest the demigods on the Argo risk themselves trying to find them.

"Try to relax. Catch your breath," Jason advised.

Percy's eyes were already slipping closed again. Piper looked like she wanted to shake him awake but Jason shook his head not to. Percy would need to get his strength back however he could.

Five minutes went by faster than they thought, but the sun was already dipping below a horizon they couldn't really see. Percy did a good job of pretending he was good to go when they eventually shook him awake.

It was hard to see if he was looking any stronger. The light had begun to drain away from the forest. Either way, he didn't complain, only hissed under his breath when they hoisted him up again.

Jason didn't complain either, when Percy's head dropped against his shoulder as they stumbled through the wood. He could feel the heat pressing against his shoulder even through his shirt, and that only succeeded in worrying him more.

Time blurred. The sky darkened. Jason could have cried in relief when Piper said suddenly, "There!" using the hand that wasn't supporting Percy to point at the base of the mountain barely visible through the grayish silhouettes of trees. More specifically, the literal white Mist curling off of it, soaking into the ground.

Jason briefly wondered what Hazel had conjured for the numina montanum to see. She'd stuck with literal mist for them, probably to make sure they could see it.

Jason tasted magic in the air, stale and putrid sweet, as the mist clung to their ankles. As soon as they were close enough, Jason turned to Piper.

Her eyes were dark as flint with the sun gone, but he could see the grim determination shadowed on her face. Between them, Percy was barely conscious. Jason was pretty sure there were minuscule tear tracks carved through the dirt beneath his eyes, but he didn't comment. This wasn't the first time Percy had been through hell. Hopefully he could handle it until they were up there.

Letting out a deep breath and summoning some of the strength that had been sapped, he secured his grip on Percy and Piper, holding them tightly but mostly relying on the air to keep them close as he propelled them skywards.

<>-<>-<>

It was fair to say that the demigods were anxious as they awaited Jason, Piper, and Percy's return.

Hazel was manning the front of the ship while Annabeth, Frank, and Leo were looking down from the other sides, searching the woods for both signs of the missing demigods and also signs of extra hostility, but the mountain gods had quieted as soon as the sun had set. Maybe they got tired, too, or more likely, bored. While you couldn't really see through the treetops, looking like that was easier than succumbing to the worry.

For Hazel, it was all she could do to keep the Mist functioning as well as her brain. Often, she found herself zoning out, spending too much time thinking about the Mist to search for flares or signals or signs of her friends.

That's why, when she first saw the dark form flying up towards the Argo, she'd thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. That was, until they flew closer, and she began to recognize stuff like Jason's unmistake tuft of blonde hair.

"They're here!" Hazel shouted joyfully, some of the anxiety seeping from her body.

She heard Annabeth, Leo, and Frank clamor to get over to where she was, and by the time they were nearly caught up, Jason was propelling himself, Percy, and Piper over Hazel's head, preparing to land behind her.

Hazel didn't even realize anything was wrong until she heard Frank say, "Oh, no," followed by Leo saying dreadfully, "I called it!", followed by Annabeth frantically calling Percy's name.

Hazel spun around, watching Jason make the worst landing he'd ever done, practically dumping Piper onto the deck but managing to keep a hold on Percy who... wasn't moving?

Hazel's heart skipped a beat, and she rushed forward with the rest of them, helping Piper up on the way; Piper, who didn't even seem concerned about her rough landing and was trying to get to Percy too.

"What's going on?" Hazel asked, as Annabeth sent Leo running towards the sickbay. "What happened?"

Piper cast a grim look at Hazel as her and Annabeth situated Percy and managed to make everyone clear a decent circle.

"Eidolons," was all Piper said, but Hazel felt her heart drop.

She automatically reached for Frank, who gripped her hand tightly as they watched Annabeth hover over Percy's lifeless form.

After a moment, Hazel glanced up at Jason, who was standing apart. Looking... guilty? It suddenly made a whole lot of sense what had happened.

Hazel felt almost as bad for Jason as she did for Percy, but it was kind of hard to focus on Jason when all he had was a pale bruise on his forehead versus the blackened eye and jaw Percy showcased, not to mention the dark marks at the bottom of his throat and the blood soaking his chest and jeans.

Hazel swallowed, edging forward to grip Percy's limp hand while Leo returned with an armful of supplies from the sickbay.

Piper looked positively exhausted, but that didn't stop her from joining Annabeth in fixing him up. Hazel tried to get a better look while Leo regretfully left Percy alone in favor of getting them into the sky.

"We couldn't make peace," she heard Jason saying. "We'll have to go the longer way."

"I figured as much," Leo said, as the Argo started to rise. "Nothing to worry about. We already have enough on our plates without wasting breath worrying about getting to Gaea."

He was right. Hazel focused back on Annabeth, whose face was shiny with extertion as she worked to keep her boyfriend alive.

"He's lost too much blood," Annabeth said, expertly removing half of his pant leg and dousing the wound with a flask of water.

Hazel wondered if the water would help with healing him. It must have, because a second later, and Piper was undoing her bandages, Percy shuddered and gasped and then he was awake, squinting at Hazel like he was confused that she was there. After a moment, his eyes focused completely, and he seemed to relax.

"We made it," Percy croaked, and Hazel couldn't stop the alarm that coursed through her at the sound of his raw voice. Had he gotten into the habit of gargling gravel while he was away? "I wasn't sure we were going to."

Annabeth looked up, seeming tearfully relieved though they all knew they weren't out of the woods yet. "Of course you made it, Seaweed Brain. You know I'd kill you if you even tried to die."

Percy gave her a weak smile, trying to sit up to see his girlfriend, though Hazel pushed him down with an admonishing smile that was probably too happy with his return to reality to seem mad. "That's what I figured."

"Stay down, Perce," Hazel ordered, meeting his (somewhat hazy) eyes. "Annabeth and Piper are going to fix you up but until then, you're going to be a model patient."

He cracked a grin her way. "Yes, Nurse Levesque."

She shook her head, blinking rapidly and finding that her eyes were wet. "This is where you shut up, Jackson."

He relaxed and looked up at the darkening sky, saying weakly, "Shutting up."

"Good."

Hazel squeezed his hand, then glanced at Frank, who offered her a dopey, also relieved smile and gestured towards Jason, who was standing where Hazel had been a few minutes before, peering off into the clouds. Frank hiked a thumb at the demigod and Hazel nodded. He could probably use someone to talk to.

"Hazel," Piper said, and she looked up to see Piper extending something her way. "Nectar. Can you---"

"Of course," Hazel complied immediately, twisting the lid off the flask of nectar and getting Percy's attention. "Percy, this will help. It's nectar."

Annabeth and Piper had moved to treating Percy's chest, which meant the three of them had to sit him up --- all pretending that stifled moan of pain he tried to keep to himself didn't make their stomachs flip --- and position him against the mast. Hazel almost looked away when they cut off the rest of his shirt. The wound didn't seem infected, but it wasn't pretty. Annabeth immediately got to work cleaning it with water, which made Percy hiss.

Hazel remembered her one task. "Let me help you."

Percy didn't seem all too willing to have her help drink the nectar, probably out of embarrassment or some equally as noble reason, but she'd rather kill his pride a bit than get him killed.

"We gave him some earlier but not a lot," Piper said without looking up as she pressed an antiseptic wipe against his wound. "He should be good for a normal---"

Percy immediately tensed, squeezing her hand tightly and closing his eyes shut. Hazel swallowed and looked at Annabeth, who had faltered when Percy went rigid.

"It's okay," Percy said, sounding completely not okay as he cracked his open and offered Annabeth a smile that probably wasn't meant to look as pained as it was. "Keep going. I'm good."

Annabeth nodded, but her movements were more hesitant as she replaced the discarded bandages with new ones.

"I guess Leo was right," Percy said with a more genuine looking grin as he was offered a square of ambrosia by Piper. "We really are not a good combo for quests."

Piper left, sitting back and admiring her neat work. "You can say that again."

"Seriously though," Percy said, eyes flicking to Annabeth as she moved to kneel next to him, prodding at the dark bruises on his face. "What were the odds that one of us would get mind controlled again?"

Nobody had an answer for him except for Frank, who was trying to scowl as he crossed his arms and rejoined them.

"Uh, they were 100% odds."

Percy laughed. "And also, this is why I miss the ocean---"

"You always miss the ocean," Annabeth mumbled.

"---because usually, I can just take a quick dip and bam. I'm ready to go."

Piper rolled her eyes and exchanged a fond look with Annabeth, who said teasingly, "Well maybe if you stopped injuring yourself all the time, you wouldn't have to need the ocean to get better."

Percy’s eyes were sparkling, and seeing the color as well as spirit return to his face lightened everyone's mood tenfold. The ambrosia and nectar were already having an effect.

"Touché. Though, I'd get injured every day if it meant that I'd have you as my doctor, Ms. Chase."

"Gods, no," Annabeth breathed, but she couldn't resist pecking him on the cheek, right above a large purple bruise that blossomed from his jaw towards his cheekbone. "Let's get you into the sickbay, yeah? Gods know you can use a shower."

Percy squinted in mock offense, but didn't protest when Annabeth and Hazel helped him up. "What are you trying to say, Wise Girl?"

"Only that you look like you got dragged through the mud by a horse," Annabeth said playfully.

Percy shot Hazel a charming smile, like, Can you believe this? "Exactly what every guy wants to hear."

While Percy seemed to be doing better, he couldn't hide the severe limp he walked with as Annabeth and Piper led him away, nor the pain he was in from moving. They'd have to let nectar take care of the nasty cut behind his knee and mortal medicine take the edge off.

"There's pain meds in the sickbay," Annabeth assured him, looping one arm around his waist. "You'll be alright by the morning."

"Good to know," Percy said, and they limped down the staircase.

Hazel sighed, the weight that she'd been unknowingly carrying dissipating with each second. She pushed a damp curl out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Frank was talking with Leo, and Jason was still staring off into the sky, looking so tense that she thought he'd snap in half if she touched him.

Knowing it was the right thing to do, Hazel approached him. She figured Jason could use some support, and it might also provide clarity as to why Percy was looking like death. As in the concept, not the person. Since she'd actually met Thanatos, she always felt the need to clarify, even to herself.

"Jason," Hazel breathed, giving him a tight hug when he turned around. "Are you okay? What happened out there? What about the numina montanum?"

Jason shook his head, looking almost as exhausted as Percy did. "Unwilling to make peace. Even though we promised them action figures." He was trying to joke, but the guilt in his eyes wasn't so easily erased. "You would think that gods who liked throwing rocks at demigods might appreciate a world in which there were actually demigods to throw rocks out."

"You would think," Hazel agreed, before sobering up some. "Seriously, though, what happened?"

Jason shook his head again. "I don't know. We were on our way back. One second, I was fine, and the next... Percy tried to keep me away from Piper but it didn't matter because the eidolon wasn't even directing me at Piper. It's like... she wanted me to take Percy out."

Hazel swallowed, mouth dry. She knew immediately this was Gaea's fault, Gaea who had taken away everything she once had, and now almost her friend.

"Don't blame this on yourself," Hazel said softly. "I'm sure Percy doesn't blame you for anything."

Jason sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Yeah, he said that." A pause that Hazel didn't fill in hope he'd continue. "He doesn't have to, though. Blame me, I mean. I'm already doing it enough for the both of us."

Hazel's face fell. "Jason..."

"It's fine," he said, looking away. "I know that this is Gaea's doing. It's just that... if I had killed Percy... that would be on me. For not fighting it off."

"You can't say that," Hazel said.

"It's true. There's got to be a reason that Gaea chose me to be the host for the eidolon."

"Percy almost killed you, too, that one time," Hazel reminded him. "It's not as simple as just fighting it off."

"Percy tried to kill me, but not like this. He didn’t hold me down or..." Jason gestured vaguely to his neck, and Hazel remembered seeing the marks at Percy’s throat. Coupled with the quality of his voice, pieces fell into place. Hazel felt her chest tighten, but she remained quiet.

"I'm just saying, I can't be the reason people keep getting hurt."

Hazel shook her head. "You're not, and the only person who doesn't know that is you." She gave him another hug, letting him be the one to pull away after half a minute. "You're stronger than you've let yourself think lately Jason Grace. Once you figure that out, you'll be okay." She brushed her hand over the pale bruise gracing his forehead. "Now, why don't you get down to the sickbay? I'm sure Piper can use some company, you can use some rest, and we can all use a break from thinking about Gaea. Sound good?"

He smiled, and for the first time since they'd returned, it was genuine. "Yeah, okay. Thank you, Hazel."

She smiled softly and he disappeared passed her. Hazel gripped the railing and stared off over the horizon, as night began to get comfortable in the sky.

They all had their problems, but when this was all over, she knew they'd be okay. They would have to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This is my first fanfic and I'm really proud of it. If you can spare a second, comment and tell me how I've done, or if not, just hit kudos!
> 
> ***Have any prompts? I'm willing to explore a few so feel free to throw some in the comments!!***

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment or give kudos!


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